Legal advice for free from lawyers for low-income families.
Find how to legal consultation or advice for free near you. Low income families, the elderly and disabled will get a free lawyer consultation for civil matters. There are government programs, non-profits or charities, and pro-bono attorneys that give advice to clients or answer legal questions for free. Find how to get assistance from free lawyers for low income families, attorneys, and charities below.
Many of the consultations, as well as the non-profits that offer them, are paid for by the federal government Legal Services Corporation, or LSC. The LSC program pays for free lawyers to help low and moderate income families as well as senior citizens across the nation. People of all backgrounds are assisted, including the elderly, veterans, families with children, and many others can get advice for free near them or over the phone. In addition, it is also the largest non-profit organization that provides legal aid as well as representation in court to the poor.
The types of civil cases covered by the free legal consultations are extensive. LSC supports a wide variety of needs. The local lawyers that are part of the organization offers services as well as other resources that help people who are facing foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction, domestic violence, and it offers legal aid for many other situations.
Both local and national free legal services are coordinated. The national LSC organization works with pro-bono law firms as well as volunteer attorney across the country to ensure there is an opportunity for face to face communication or a free phone consult with an attorney. Free consultations can also be done over the phone on video chat or online. The goal is to ensure that people who need free legal advice can get it. Low income families or senior citizens who need the the assistance of lawyers, attorneys and other legal professionals will have a place to go that is near them to for support.
How to get free lawyer consultations for low-income families
There are non-profit or pro-bono firms, or government offices, in all states, as listed below. LSC awards grants to local attorneys, lawyers and volunteer firms across the nation. Any pro-bono or government supported firms that is helping the less fortunate needs to comply with all federal government regulatory and statutory requirements. Lawyers need to give free legal advice over the phone, online, or in person to low-income clients, the elderly, disabled and veterans among others.
In total, Legal Services Corporation partners hundreds of independent, non-profit law firms at the state, city and county level, including some that will be near you Together these various firms operate thousands offices across the nation. Almost all cities and counties are covered. Find a free attorney for advice, either in person or remotely, near you below.
The lawyers will provide free legal consultations to low or moderate income families, clients with no money or unemployed people in all 50 states. In fact, almost five million low-income people receive consultations or some form of free legal aid (or representation) every year. They offer services at no charge to those who qualify. Pro bono lawyers will also help, with either affordable rates or free services. Find a pro bono lawyer near you.
Who do the free legal advice programs help?
A wide variety of low-income people can receive free legal representation or consultations from these services. They include low and moderate income people or those facing poverty. Typical clients are the working poor, renters who are facing an eviction, veterans, single moms, or families with children. The disabled can also get legal consultations for free over the phone. Senior citizens can also get support no matter their income. Assistance is also for other families as well.
There may be free legal aid from volunteers or pro-bono firms for farmers, low income people with disabilities, homeowners who have received a foreclosure notice, victims of domestic violence or natural disasters, and the elderly. Housing, including illegal evictions or housing discrimination, are also a priority for many of the free law firms.
Most people who ask for help from an attorney are women or even single mothers. In fact, three out of four clients of the program are low-income females, many of whom are struggling to keep their families safe as well as their children together. A large number of single moms also request help from a pro-bono law firm. However there are no gender or race requirements.
Types of legal advice free or consultations available from lawyers
While the Legal Services Corporation, partner non-profit organizations as well as attorneys offer support and provide a wide range of free legal advice to clients, here are some more common items that people need help with. Free consultations can found near you for some or all of the following topics. They include the following.
- Foreclosure Legal Aid and Housing Assistance: Over 25 percent of the clients who are seeking help from the program involve foreclosures or evictions. These cases can range from people who need help to prevent a foreclosure or modify their loan, resolve landlord-tenant disputes, legal counsel that can assist renters who have received an eviction notices if their landlord is being foreclosed on, etc.
Attorneys can even provide help to individuals who are trying to maintain federal government housing subsidies such as section 8. Learn more on how lawyers can help modify home loans and provide foreclosure prevention advice.
- Eviction defense, housing discrimination, and other tenant assistance programs are also provided as part of these free legal services. Hundreds of non-profit law firms that are part of the Legal Services Corporation network or a pro-bono firm support low income renters to ensure they have a home to live in and that they are not illegally evicted by a property owner.
Whether it is a landlord that refuses to make repairs to an apartment, a property owner that discriminates and will not lease a home to a minority or disabled person, or some other matter, free legal aid can be used. The process will be comprehensive and address all applicable housing regulations for that state. Find more details on attorneys that offer eviction defense.
- Family law: Attorneys will help victims of domestic violence by obtaining restraining and protective orders. They will also assist family members obtain guardianship for children without parents, offer advice to help parents obtain and keep custody of their children if needed, and a number of other services can be provided for other family law matters. This is the most common need that people have, as almost one third of all cases closed by the local programs are related to family law cases.
- Consumer Free Legal Issues: About 10 percent of all cases to the program involve protecting the elderly, minorities, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups from being victimized by unscrupulous banks, lenders, or other local businesses. Free legal advice is also available from lawyers at these non-profit law firms to help people file for bankruptcy when appropriate.
Another service offered by some firms is they can often help people manage their debts and deal with creditors as well as aggressive collectors. This form of assistance is covered by LSG guidelines as well. Free lawyer consultations can be done over the phone as well about debt issues. Click here to read more on how lawyers can provide legal support and arbitration for debts settlement.
- Elder law and senior citizens - Some non-profit firms offer elder law assistance programs. This means they specialize on supporting people over the age of 60 and that is all they do. The free legal advice and representation is targeted at issues that senior citizens, retirees, their caregivers, surviving spouses or children and older Americans face. Read more on Elder Law attorneys.
- Income Maintenance: Over 10 percent of the clients need help in dealing with their employers or filling applications for public aid from government programs, including disability benefits. The legal assistance provided will help people apply for or retain both state and federal government benefits such as disability or HUD housing to which they are entitled. Lawyers can also help low income families get government benefits, such as food stamps or Medicaid. Income Maintenance is also a key service for households living in poverty. Learn more on, and find a social security disability lawyer near you.
- Free Civil Court Representation Legal Advice - Attorneys may represent a client in local court at no cost to them. They will go over the process, answer any questions that the client or the judge has, and in general provide the assistance that the individual needs for their civil case. Lawyers from across the community work as part of the Legal Services Corporation organization to provide this service to the poor.
- Utility and Heating Issues disjunction prevention from free lawyers - Hundreds of thousands of families and individuals face disconnection of their utilities, electric, gas, and heat every year. Some shut-offs may be questionable or illegal. Attorneys can help you get your utility service reconnected, or ensure it stays on from the start. Read more on the laws for utility and heating disconnections for your state.
- Veterans and active military members can get free legal services. Advice is provided to current members of the armed forces, veterans, and also to their immediate family members. A wide range of issues can be addressed by Legal Services Corporation sponsored attorneys. Some examples include assistance in applying for the VA benefits they are entitled too, housing matters, filing for disability claims, and much more.
- Lawyers help with bankruptcy for free - A number of volunteer and pro-bono attorneys offer help to low-income families that need or want to file bankruptcy. Clients can get advice on understanding their options, the process, and what they can do to eliminate debts as well as rebuild their credit. Get questions answered, review the process and more. Continue to learn about low-income bankruptcies lawyers you.
Who is eligible for free legal help?
Millions of people can take advantage of the free legal consultation programs. The focus is on low-income and advice for people with no money. Overall, the individuals and families who seek free legal assistance from a lawyer tend to be the most vulnerable among us. They also come from very diverse backgrounds and they are a reflection of our nation. Clients encompass all races, ethnic groups and ages.
In total, it is estimated that over 50 million people, including almost 20 million children, are eligible for some form of free legal advice from attorneys supported by the Legal Services Corporation or their local non-profit law firms near you. Many of them are not even aware of that fact. There are some income guidelines that need to be met in order to be eligible for aid.
Are the programs from free attorneys effective?
They are for Civil cases.. Due to this, the demand for lawyer advice for free are very high. As result, many pro-bono or free law firms will have waiting lists of those who want to consult them, or they need to turn clients away. Or some low income families may be referred to a paralegal for aid. There is a high level of demand legal specialties and services like foreclosure advice or eviction help.
It is now becoming common for legal aid offices to turn away two potential clients for each one they can. The demand for free legal services is greater than the amount of resources available. Some firms are now even using paralegals to help take on some of the case load.
Find a free lawyer or get legal advice for free near you
Select your state below to find free legal consultations. Or you can contact the main federal office at 202.295.1500 to learn more about the free legal aid programs in your state and local area or to get a question answered for free. The caller may be referred to a pro-bono firm or volunteer attorney, in which they can ask a lawyer their questions for free. Or find information below on the services and participating attorneys in your local community, near you.
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York (legal information)
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Additional free government legal programs
There are other federal government as well as non-profit resources that offer free lawyer help as well. They are available in state and counties across the county and focus on low to moderate income households, immigrants, seniors and others. Contact LSC for referrals to lawyers.
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